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Jury in River Ridge child rape case wrangles with decision

Robert Bush main.jpg

Robert Bush, 35, was standing trial this week in the 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna, on charges of aggravated rape and molestation of a juvenile. He's accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a girl over a four-year period, starting in the spring of 206, when she was 11 years old. Bush denies the accusations.
(JPSO)

A Jefferson Parish jury was deliberating Thursday night whether to believe a defendant's assertions that a River Ridge girl wrongly accused him of raping her -- and that she even planted her skin cells on a condom he had used. Robert Bush, 35, of Metairie stood trial on charges of aggravated rape and molestation of a juvenile, in connection with accusations that he began sexually abusing the girl in the spring of 2006, when she was 11 years old.

The girl, now 19, testified this week that Bush initially showed her pornography to teach her what he wanted her to do for him. She said sexual acts happened in at her homes in River Ridge, his car and even on the Mississippi River batture where they sometimes went fishing. And, she said, he raped her in the crawl-space attic over a backyard shed.

It was in that attic that Sheriff's Office detectives found used condoms, which Bush admitted were his. The girl said he used condoms when raping her, but he said he used them when masturbating.

On one condom, forensic scientists found skin cells that they linked to the girl through her DNA. Bush responded by saying the girl, who once caught him masturbating in the shed attic and saw him with a condom, must have retrieved one of the sheaths and planted her skin cells on it.

The jury of five women and seven men began deliberations about 10:30 a.m. At least 10 jurors must agree to convict or acquit.

Upon conviction, aggravated rape carries a mandatory life sentence in prison, while molestation of a juvenile's punishment is 25 years to 99 years in prison.